Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-11-12
The Boy About Town.
A CURIOUS AND INTERESTING PRODUCT OF THE AZ
LEGED CIVILIZATION OF NEW YORK.

a
LEGRD CIVILIZATION OF NEW YoRE
From the New York Tribune.
There are as many kinds Of boys about the town
as there are varieties OF golden rod. They are as
plentiful now in New York as the walking sticks
of voltaire were In Paris sixty years ago There
Is the fat boy about town, who lunches daily at
Dels; and the thin one, whose legs are no thicker
than his cane, who lunches or his friends There
is the boy about town who ia AZ brisk as rigorous
fashion In boys will allow; and the lanRuid boy
who shows an inclination to drag In his feet. his
Soy who has no psI parcusT IS st sae bn aves
the whole planetary system--that Is, when the
system moves In the upper air currents-the boy
.eIt's not the fox care for-itS the chase;" and
there Is the boy who loves with 10Th century
New YORK frenzy the gayest and prettiest mar.
cynical boy, who disbelieves In women as shallow.
callow things, made 10 suckie fools ana chronicle
small beer Il would have TO be very small beer
to his head. And there Is his charming antithesis
the soft-hearted 0oy. who haunts O'Clock teas,
plays on the guitar and smokes Russian Cigarettes.
There are stupid boys about town and clever ones:
ugly ones ana handsome ones, rich ones and poor
oneA In tact, they have but one point in common,
according to their own accounts they are all ter.
roly wicked. They nave not kept themselves un.
spotted from the world; indeed, close contact with
IL seems to have polka-dotted them. They break
hearts and banks with equal ease, and the "fre-
DANES" which they murnur to each other over
black coffee and cigarettes are particularly lurid
-Greek gods, whom burning Ouida loved and sung
Tine boy about town ceases to exist after the age
OF twenty-three. Some men pass this "pons asino-
rum between youth and manhood without being
boys about town at all The boys pity them as
poor Creatures who have never known the real
spice OF life. The boys themselves regard life al
only successful when thoroughly Spicy-but then.
one mans spice Is another mans mustard water
The place to see the real, genuine boy In all his
glory Is Stn avenue Of tine afternoon. Arrsyed
tiiul shining boots, pointed as pins on his neat
little feet, with his elbows bowed outward at the
correct angle, with his hair curled like
the Assyrlan monarch's on his brow.
and orange gloves on his hands, he
swings up the avenue exhibiting the latest
importation In walks. This undulatlng glide,
reaching Its highest development In slight dip In
the knees and droop In the snoulders is the boys
greatest achievement. In fact It Is the trademark
or boys about town Let youth OF tender years
be dressed In the most ultra fashion, Yet his mus.
tache be fainter than the first flush OF dawn; let
him have q whole menagerie OF heraIdlc fauna
gamb0llng on the top Of his note paper; let him
have the nshiest glance TO be found outside the
nnny tribe; let him 'sive the grin" with the spas
modic suddenness OF hash OF ughtninR-but II
he doesn't walk just in that way he Is q hOliow
sham, q wretcned copy Of that refulgent, radiant,
Incompatible Deing-tne real boy aoOut town.